Auto parts washer



March 30, 1948. v. N. ALBERTSN AUTO PARTS WASHER 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 25, 1944 IIIIP March 30, 1948. v.l N. ALBERTSON 2,438,654

r AUTO @ARTS WASHER Filed Feb. 2'5, 1944 5 sheets-shet 2 March 30, 1948, v. N. ALBERTSON 2,438,654'

AUTO PARTS WASHER Filed Feb. 25, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 8 l Mio/022e@ 1 Patented Mar. 30, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE My present invention relates tov improvements in washing machines for use in washing greasy and dirty machine parts and the like.

More specifically stated, the present invention relates to improvements in washing machines used for the same general purpose as that disclosed in my co-pending application, S. N. 392,267, led May '7, 1941, under title Auto parts washer, which matured into Patent No. 2,397,718 on April 2, 1946. Machines made in accordance with the teachings of my prior patent have and are filling an urgent demand for semi-portable machines of the kind :described for use in wash ing machine parts in factories` and well-equipped garages and service stations where power for operation thereof is readily available at all the different locations in which the machine is used. However, experience gained in the commercializing of the said machine of my said prior application has shown clearly that there is a further demand for a still more compact, lighter, more readily portable machine capable of accomplishing substantially the same functions as do machines built in accordance with the teachings of my said prior application, but which may be operated completely independent of electrical or other power sources.

The above and numerous other important objects and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the specification, claims and appended-drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a commercial embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectionalview taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. '2; Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 4 4 of Fig; 2; Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional View on a still further enlarged scale and taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, some parts on the section linel being broken away; Fig. 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary `detailed view taken on line I-l of Fig. 4.

The preferred embodiment of the invention herein illustrated comprises a fluid container or reservoir 8, and a work table or deck 9. Preferably, and as illustrated, the duid container or reservoir 8 is cylindrical, with its axis extending vertically, and the work table or deck 9 is rectangular and of considerably greater area than 3 Claims. (Cl. 134-111) the cross section ofthe container 3. The top of the fluid containing reservoir 8 is primarily open and is provided, adjacent its upper edge, with an expanded portion Ill. One end of the work deck 9 overlies and is supported by the upper end of the fluid reservoir 8, and is provided with an opening immediately overlying the primarily open top of the fluid container or reservoir 8, and immediately surrounding said opening with a ydepending annular flange l I that seats in the expanded portion I Il of the uid container or reservoir 8. At its other or projected end the work deck or table 9 is provided with supporting legs I2. The large opening in the work deck 9 and which is dened by the depending annular anchoring flange II is normally largely closed by a removable cover plate I3 having a depending marginal flange Iii 'that fits telescopi-y cally within the depending flange II of the ldeck 9. The flange It of the cover plate I3 preferf ably, and as illustrated, is provided with cir-4 cumferentially spaced series of drain apertures I5 in the upper portion of its flange Iii, and by reference particularly to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the flange I4 has sufficient depth below the apertures I5 thereof to insure the locationof the apertures I5 above the surface of that portion of the work deck 9 surrounding the lcover plate I3. Cover plate I3 does, of course, complete the bottom of the work deck, which work deck is preferably imperforate except for the fluid return apertures I5.

Preferably means is incorporated in the machine for separating dirt from the cleaning fluid before it is returned to the fluid containing reservoir `8, and apreferred arrangement for ac'- complishing this result is shown particularly in Fig. 2. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that a circular tray I6, having an outside diameter approximating that of the inside of the reservoir 8 and which is provided at its upper edge with an out-turned seating flange Il, is telescopically seated in the upper end of the reservoir 8 withvits said out-turned flange i'I resting on the bottom of the expanded portion Iil ofl said reservoir. In fact, in the preferred arrangement illustrated, the flange II of the tray I6 establishes a stop for the bottom of the flange I4 to cover plate I3. In the construction illustrated, the cover plate I3 and tray i5 are removablel at will, but it will be readily seen that with the parts assembled fluid leaking through the circumferentially spaced drain passages or apertures I5 will flow into the outer edge portionV of wardly o f the upstanding sides thereof, is an up-v standing annular flange I9 that provides, with the bottom an-d sides of said tray I6, an annular sediment chamber 29. This flange I9 is welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the bottom of tray I 6 to provide a liquid-tight .'Iointtherebe-l tween in the bottom of the tray, andisirnperforate to a level considerably above the bottom of tray IB, so as to establish a iluid level approximately as indicated in Fig. 2. Preferably, however, the flange I9 extends to a, level cons iderably above the fluidlevel indicated'andV is rather Yclosely perforated; above said level. The perforations in the upper portion of ilange I 9 are shown in Fig. 2 and are indicated by'2I. In accordance with the preferred embodimentof the-invention, herein illustrated,` the space within' the` flange I9 isillled `with illtering material 22;;such as'metal wool, Vcrinkled wire, horsehair, vegetable nbre or the like, and, for the dual purposeV ofV rendering theq'annular sediment chamber Zeasy toclean andi keeping the ltering material 22Y imposition,- the said ilange `Iii-is made inwardly converging `orrnore or less conical.

36. Sealing ring 36 may be made of various different materials and be of various different shapes andA designs, but for the purpose of the present case it may be assumed that the pack- 5 ing ring 331s of synthetic rubber. The spring 29 is interposed between the piston 21 and the mechanism supporting shelf or base 33, which latter acts as a fixed base of reaction for said spring. I

Y The check vaive'za is of the typerwnieh wm automatically close as a result of pressure exerted downwardly on the piston 21 and will open whenever downward pressure on the piston is relieved.

While such a valve may take several diiler- 'ent' forms, I have found the gravity actuated disc valve .of thetype illustrated in Fig. 2 to be entirely satisfactory for the purpose. In accord- `ance with the present example, the valve port in ,v the piston, indicated by 31, is of relatively large diameter Yand is controlled by a valve disc 38 bracket 40 andupwardclosing movements of the disc .valve 38`are limited by engagement ofthe K valve with its cooperating valve seat.. g f For raisingthe piston` 21 against the Vaction of its yielding bias spring 29, I provide spring loading mechanism comprising a," chain 42, a sprocket 1 43 and a sprocket operating crank 44. The shaft portion of ycrank 44^extends radially throughl the sideof the reservoir'above the iluid level and base or shelf33 and has' its extreme inner end "Fordellel'ing Cleaning fluid IOm thtank 0I 35 journaled in Va Vcombination bearing and chain reservoir `8 onto the surface of the workdeck or table 9 there is provided a delivery pipe or conduit '2 3Vthat opens into the bottom portion of said reservoir 8 through a port 24; This delivery conduit 23 is comprsed'of a rigid vertical lower-secdelivery' pipe Y23, Vdischarged over parts being.

cleaned over the deck 9, and then is returned under the actionofgravity'to the reservoir 8. The preferred mechanism for vproducing Vthis circulation of cleaningfluid to and from the reservoir comprises a piston 21 having a one-way acting check valve 28 therein, anda, yielding piston operating device in the nature of a coil spring-29.

Thepiston 21 works over anraxially extended guide lpost 30 with which it has sliding 'engagement throughY the medium 'of an intricately formed tube-like guidesleeve 3|. This "guide post 30 is'seated atits Vlower endl on' the bottom of the reservoirs and is Vmaintained-in centered position by means of a centering pinV 3,2. This guide I postf30"projects into the upper portion of the reservoir andat its upper end` is connected to serve as a support fora mechanism anchoring base 33, which base isV also anchored to the side of Ythe reservoir 8 by a Vscrew or the like as at 34.

Atfits periphery the piston '21 has closely fltrsliding engagement with theV cylindrical wallof the reservoir 8 and is provided with anannular packing groove '35 containing a suitable sealing ring guide bracket 45 mounted on the base 33. y.At its outer end portion the shaft end of crank 44 is journaled inV a bearing 46; The sprocket 43.is pinned or otherwise secured fast on the shaft 40 end of crank 44, and axial movements of the Y crank and sprocket are limited in one direction by engagement of the sprocket hub with the side of bearing bracket 45, and in the other direction by engagementY of a stop collar 41 with bearing 45 46. In the arrangement illustrated, the'sprocket 43 is mounted directly over the guide post 39,

which guide post 30 maybe assumed to have pin and aperture engagement with theY shelf-like base 33 at its top, just as has the said guide post with the bottom of` reservoir 8.at its' bot- -tom.'

The chain. 42 works over the sprocket 43 and through apertures 48 in theshelf-acting base 33. (See particularly Figs. r2 and 6.) One end 0fthis chain 42 is anchored :to the piston bearing sleeve 3| and 49, and the other end thereof hangs Y loose. Because'one end of thel chain 4'2V hangs loose it is deslrableto guide the chain to prevent p Willie the-work temeer deck e '1s primarily formed independently of the reservoir 8, these partsare preferably rigidly anchored together to form an integral unit, which can best be accomplished by welding the flangeV II to the expanded portion I0 ofthe reservoir' 8.' The tray I 6 may also be, Welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the Y reservoir 8, but this tray` I6 is preferably removable at will for the purposek of cleaning, as is Valso the coverplate I3, which latterv must be removedfor the purpose of servicing the tray.

Operation When an operator desires to wash one or more parts, he will rst operate the crank 4'4 to thereby raise the piston 21 against the yielding action of the spring 29 from its lower full line position to its upper dotted line position of Fig. 2. Under this upward pull on the piston 21 the valve 28, which is open in a static condition with the piston, will remain open and permit the fluid to be transferred therethrough from the top side of the piston to the lower side. When the piston reaches the top of its upward stroke, and is relieved of lifting pressure, spring 29, being now compressed, will exert a downward biasing pressure on the piston which will immediately produce a closing of the valve 28 and will place the fluid (y) below the piston under suiicient pressure to raise the fluid through the delivery pipe 23 and cause a continuous discharge thereof through the nozzle 25 over and onto the deck and over any parts placed on the deck or held over the deck under the stream. Of course, the piston will now travel downwardly at a rate determined by the rate of displacement of uid through the discharge conduit 23. The fluid discharged onto the deck or table 9 will be returned to the reser- Voir on the upper side of the piston through the cover plate drain passages l5, flange passages 2l, filter material 22 and tray passages i8. The heavier particles of foreign substance removed from' the washed parts over the deck will be deposited in the annular sediment chamber 20 of the tray, and lighter foreign particles will be caught and trapped in the filter material 22, so that the fluid returned to the reservoir will be clean.

In the commercial form of the device illustrated the downward operating cycle of the piston 2l will `consume several minutes, during which a steady, uninterrupted flow of cleaning fluid will be discharged through the nozzle 25 for cleaning purposes, and in practice it is found that such an operative cycle is suilcient for most relatively small cleaning operations, but, of course, if the cleaning operation is of extensive nature, the machine may be re-cycled one or more times.

Of course, it will be necessary at intervals to clean the sediment out of the annular `chamber 20, and to clean or replace the filter material 22, which latter may be common cotton waste, such as is usually plentiful around machine and repair shops.

What I claim is:

l. In a parts washer of the kind described, a a vertically disposed cylinder acting uid reservoir, a Work deck overlying and supported from said reservoir, a piston mounted for limited reciprocating movement in the fluid reservoir and having sliding sealing engagement with the inner surfaces thereof, a fluid delivery conduit leading from the reservoir at a point beyond one limit of movement of the piston and arranged to discharge above the said work deck, fluid return passages from the work deck back to that portion of the reservoir lying on the opposite side of said piston, yielding means biasing the piston to move toward one of its extreme positions, manually operated means for returning the piston to its other extreme position against the action of said yielding means, and a valve controlled port in said piston, said valve being in the nature of a one-way opening check valve permitting free flow of fluid therethrough under return movements of the piston and preventing flow of fluid therethrough under operative movements of the piston responsive to the yielding biasing means.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, in which the said manually operated means comprises a crank, a sprocket operated from the crank, and a chain running over said sprocket and having one end anchored to said piston.

3. In a parts washer, a fluid reservoir, a work deck extending over and largely closing the top of said reservoir, a substantially annular sediment `chamber located within the reservoir irnmediately below the overlying portion of said work deck, circumferentially spaced fluid return passages leading through said deck and discharging into said substantially annular sediment chamber, fluid passages through the radially inner wall of the sediment chamber, filter material within the space defined by the inner wall of the sediment chamber and which space has drainage communication with the reservoir, and uid circulating mechanism delivering fluid from the reservoir to said deck.

VICTOR N. ALBERTSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 158,684 Cosgrove Jan. 12, 1875 563,601 Lewis July 7, 1896 691,515 Weburg Jan. 21, 1902 1,122,710 Feit Dec. 29, 1914 1,754,966 Phillips Apr. 15, 1930 

